Rail-anchor.



H. G. WARR.

RAIL ANCHOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-27. 1911.

0G 1 9 1 9w 2 m J d m m m P I G. WR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE I. & M. 00., OF CGAGO,

ILIAHTOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

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Application filed January 27, 1917. Serial No. 1414,5988.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARoLo WARR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chlcage, in the county of Cook and State of normal Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Rail-Anchors, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements 1n rail anchors or anticreepers, and has for its primary object the provision of a device of this character which shall have improved means for maintaining a firm frictional grip on the rail under all conditions of service. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description.

In the drawings are shown three embodiments of my invention but it is to be understood that they are for purposes of illustration only and not as defining any limits to the invention, the same being susceptible of many changes.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device shown partially applied to a rail base, the latter being shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof showing the anchor in position on a rail base, its position being indicated in dotted lines. r v Fig. 3 is an end elevation.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a slightly modified form of anchor; and

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a still further modified form of the invention.

The anticreeper in. its preferred form is made of a .single piece of spring steel arranged to grip the rail 1, (shown in dotted lines), said rail being supported on the usual cross tie 2. In the drawings the device is shown as provided with a rearwardly bowed yoke 10 terminating in jaws 11 and 12, adapted for engagement with the opposite V edges of the rail base to hold the device in firm frictional contact therewith. Intermediate said jaws and said yoke are formed a plurality of tie abutting flanges 13 and 14, also shown bowed, but which may be of any desired configuration. Thes'e flanges are preferably offset forwardly from the vertical plane of the jaws 11 and 12, asshown in Fig. 2, and aredesigned, as above indicated,

to transmit the creeping thrust of the rail directly to the cross tie 2 and also to stifien the anchor as a whole.

The upper surface of the device which underlies the rail base is anticlinal, and is given this character by the normal twisted condition of the arm 19 of the yoke 10, which, it will be noted, lies adjacent to the tie abutment 14. This twisted condition of causes the abutments 13 and 14 to lie at an angle to each other as shown in Fig. 1.

The opposed jaws 11 and 12 are provided with inner surfaces 16 adapted for engagement with the opposite edges of the rail base. Normally these surfaces 16 are spaced apart a distance less than that between the edges of the rail base, so that in applying ,the anchor, it is necessary that the resilient yoke be sprung, thereby exerting tension in a lateral or horizontal plane, which tends to keep the device in firm frictional engagement with the rail base. Each of the jaws is shown provided with an inwardly, directed portion 17, which overlies the rail base and contacts therewith, the jaw 11 being provided at its inner extremity, with a downwardly and inwardly slanting guiding surface 18, which serves to guide said jaw upwardly and about the adjacent edge of the rail base in the application of the anchor to the rail and after the opposite jaw 12 has been positioned on the opposite side of the rail base.

Patented Jan. 2%, ram

In positioning the anchor on a rail, the

jaw 12 is first placed in position and the jaw 11 is then forced upwardly by means of a suitable tool, and snapped into engagement with the adjacent edge of the base. It is into a substantially vertical position and the inner surfaces of the abutments 13 and 14 are brought into substantially parallel relation. The inner extremity 17 of the jaw 11, by overlying the upper surface of the side of the rail, will-maintain the anchor in its vertically tensioned condition, while the normal spaced relation of the surfaces 16 will result in the tensioning of the anchor in a substantially horizontal plane when the same is in operative position on the rail. In other words, when the device has been forced into position on the base of a rail, a powerful downward force, or vertical tension, is exerted on the jaws 11 and'12 by virtue of the sprung condition of the arm 19. The yoke 10 and bowed tie abutments 13 and 14 afford means whereby tension in a horizontal plane is exerted. It will be seen therefore that a one-piece anchor has been provided which exerts tension horizontally and vertically upon the rail base and which, because of this combination of resilient forces, is more firmly positioned on the rail than in the case of an anchor employing resilient force in one direction only.

By offsetting the tie abutting flanges 13 and 14 forwardly of the jaws 11 and 12, the movement of the rail in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3 tends to tilt the device slightly, thereby causing a binding of thejaws upon the opposite edges of the rail base, that is, the upper extremities 17 are forced slightly forward with the rail, thus causing the u per surface of the yoke to be drawn into the under surface of said rail base. the traffic over the rail be reversed, the

creeping action thereon would cause the de-- pending tie abutm'ents 13 and 14, which in practice are embedded in the track ballast, to engage the same, thereby forcing the jaws 11 and 12 into firmer engagement with the rail base, and at the same time bringing the forward upper surface of the tie abutments 13 and 14 into closer contact with the bottom of the rail. .In other words, the creeping action would tend to tilt the anchor in a reverse direction to that which results when the traffic is in the direction of the arrow. Thus it will be seen that the anchor is adapted to prevent creeping of the rail in either directlon.

In Fig. 4 is illustrated a slightly modified form of the invention, wherein the twisting of the yoke is dispensed with. In this form, the anticlinal effect is obtained by making the jaw 12 slightly larger than the corresponding portion of the rail base, thus providing a clearance between the two, as shown at 20, when the anchor is in operative position. This is to facilitate in the positioning of the anchoron a rail, the dotted lines indicating it partially applied. The anchor rmer frictional contact with- Should' shown in this figure issubstantially rigid, as regards relative movement in a vertical plane, the inner faces of the tie abutments 13 .and 14 being approximately parallel, both when the anchor is in its normal condition and when it is in its tensioned condition. 7

In Fig. 5 a further modified form of the invention is illustrated. In this form the resilient yoke is shown as of substantially Z- shape, as illustrated at 21, either surface 22 of which is adapted for use as a tie abutment, the device being reversible. The tieabutting portion of the yoke may be made to depend below the general horizontal plane of the device if desired, as shown in the preferred form of construction. Positioned on either side of the Z-shaped portion 21 and in a vertical plane substantially central thereof, are the rail base engaging jaws 11 and 12. In' this form, no twist in the yoke or clearance between either of the jaws and the rail base is necessary, it being preferred to construct the device with a substantially plane upper surface.

In the form illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5,

the surface 16 of the opposed rail base engaging jaws 11 and 12, are spaced apart a distance less than the distance between the edges of the rail base, so that in applying the anchor it is necessary to spring the resilient yoke, thereby exerting tension in a lateral or horizontal plane, which tends, to keep the anchor in firm frictional engagement with said rail base. It will be noted that in these figures, the twisted yoke is dispensed with, said yoke being substantially rigid as regards relative movement of the jaws 11' and 12 in a vertical plane.

While I have illustrated and described several embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that one skilled in the art may make modifications thereof without departing from the spirit of the invention. I do not therefore confine myself to the exact embodiments shown, except in so far as the same are limited in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A rail anchor comprising a normally inclined rearwardly bowed resilient yoke and opposed rail base clamping jaws, said jaws being normally spaced apart a distance less than that between the edges of the rail base.

2. A rail anchor comprising a laterally bowed resilient yoke provided with a ridge on its upper surface and opposed rail base clamping jaws thereon which are normally spaced from each other a distance less than that between the edges of the rail base.

3. A rail anchor comprising a resilient yoke, having a ridge on its upper surface which .is remote from the edges of the rail base and is adapted to contact with the bottom of a rail, and opposed base clamping members thereon having surfaces for engagement with the edges of the rail base, said surfaces being normally spaced from each other a distance less than that between said edges.

4. A rail anchor comprising a resilient yoke having a ridge on its upper surface which is remote from the edges of the rail base and is adapted to contact with the bottom of the rail, and opposed base clamping jaws thereon having upper extremities for contact with the upper surface of the rail base and having inner surfaces for engagement with the opposite edges of the rail base, said inner surfaces being normally spaced apart a distance less than that between said edges.

5. A rail anchor comprising a resilient yoke having a ridge on its upper surface which is remote from the edges of the rail base and is adapted to contact with the bottom of the rail, and opposed base clamping jaw thereon having upper extremities for contact with the upper surface of the rail base and having inner surfaces for engagement with the opposite edges of the rail base, said inner surfaces being normally spaced apart a distance less than that between said edges, one of said extremities having an inwardly and downwardly slanting guiding surface for preliminary engagement with the edge of the rail base.

6. A rail anchor comprising a laterally bowed resilient yoke having a ridge on its upper surface which is remote from the edges of the rail base and is adapted to engage the bottom of the rail, opposed base clamping jaws thereon which are normally spaced apart a distance less than that between the edges of the rail base, and tie abutting means protruding from said yoke.

7. A rail anchor comprising a laterally bowed resilient yoke having a ridge on its upper surface which is remote from the edges of the rail base and is'adapted to engage the bottom of the rail, and two spaced tie-abutting members protruding laterally from said yoke. j

8. In a single piece rail anchor a yoke terminating in rail base engaging jaws and a plurality of bowed tie-abutting flanges in termediate said yoke and said jaws.

9. In a single piece rail anchor, a yoke terminating in rail base engaging jaws and a plurality of tie-abutting flanges intermediate said yoke and said jaws, said tie-abutting flanges being offset forwardly from the vertical plane of said jaws.

10. In a-single piece rail anchor, a yoke terminating in rail base engaging jaws, a ridge on the upper surface of said yoke tending to exert a powerful vertical tension on the sides of the rail base when the anchor is positioned thereon, and a plurality of bowed tie-abutting flanges intermediate said yoke and said jaws.

11. A rail anchor comprising a yoke and a plurality of opposed rail base engaging jaws, said yoke being normally twisted and adapted to be sprung when forced into position on a rail, whereby said yoke assumes a position of less distortion when in opera-' tive position.

12. A rail anchor comprising a rearwardly bowed yoke terminating in opposed rail base engaging jaws, a plurality of depending tieabutments intermediate said yoke and said aws, said yoke being normally twisted, the adjacent surfaces of said tie-abutments ,being normally positioned at an angle to each other by'reason of said twisted yoke, and means whereby said surfaces are brought into ubstantially parallel relation when said anchor 1s sprung into position on a raiL.

13. A single piece rail anchor comprising a pair of opposed rail base engaging jaws, a yoke intermediate said jaws and bein bowed rearwardly thereof, a plurality of tie abutments intermediate said yoke and said jaws and being bowed forwardly thereof, thereby affording means whereby any creeping thrust imposed on the rail in either direction will tilt said anchor in the corresponding direction and bring said jaws into firmer engagement with the base of said rail.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe by name this 18th day of January, A. 1D. 

